Use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity

Legislation: Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) s 474.26(1)

Maximum penalty: 15 years imprisonment

Period: 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2024

Jurisdiction: higher courts

Charges



Cases



All outcomes

Males

Females

Aged under 25

Aged 25 to 54

Aged 55 and over

*Note: unavailable options have under 10 cases

Charge data

In the higher courts, 96 charges of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity were sentenced in the five years to 30 June 2024. The most common sentence for a charge of this offence was imprisonment (92.7% or 89 charges).

On SACStat, a charge is a single count of a sentenced offence. Charge data is most useful in understanding how a specific crime is usually sentenced.

Case data

In 46 cases sentenced in the higher courts in the five years to 30 June 2024, use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity was the principal proven offence (the most serious crime in the case). Among the 46 cases, 45 people were male and 1 person was female. The most common outcome for cases was imprisonment with a recognizance release order with later release (45.7% or 21 cases).

A case is a collection of one or more charges against a person or company sentenced at the one hearing. Case data is most useful in understanding the total sentence usually imposed on people found guilty of a particular crime.

Bar graph showing sentence types imposed for charges of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity — **Figure 1**: Sentencing outcomes for all charges of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity
**Number: 96 charges**

Bar graph showing imprisonment lengths for charges of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity — **Figure 2**: Imprisonment lengths for charges of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity
**Number: 85 charges**
**Range and median**: The shortest imprisonment length is 0.25 years, the longest is 5.5 years, and the median is 1.67 years, meaning that half of the imprisonment lengths are below 1.67 years and half are above.
**Note**: The graph only includes imprisonment that was not part of an aggregate sentence (non-aggregate imprisonment).

Stacked bar graph showing sentences imposed each year for charges of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity — **Figure 3**: Sentencing outcomes for all charges of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity by financial year
**Number: 96 charges**

Bar graph showing the number of charges each year for the offence of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity — **Figure 4**: Number of charges of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity by financial year
**Number: 96 charges**

Bar graph showing imprisonment lengths each year for charges of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity — **Figure 5**: Average imprisonment lengths for charges of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity by financial year
**Number: 85 charges**
**Note**: The graph only includes imprisonment that was not part of an aggregate sentence (non-aggregate imprisonment).

Bar graph showing sentence types for all offenders for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity — **Figure 6A**: Sentencing outcomes for all people for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity
**Number: 46 cases**

Bar graph showing sentence types for male offenders for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity — **Figure 6B**: Sentencing outcomes for males for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity
**Number: 45 cases**

Bar graph showing sentence types for offenders aged 25 to 54 for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity — **Figure 6E**: Sentencing outcomes for people aged 25 to 54 for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity
**Number: 38 cases**

Bar graph showing imprisonment lengths for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity — **Figure 7A**: Imprisonment lengths for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity
**Number: 41 cases**, including imprisonment only (11 cases), imprisonment with a recognizance release order where the person is released immediately (9 cases), and imprisonment with a recognizance release order where the person is released after serving some time in prison (21 cases).
**Range and median**: The shortest imprisonment length is 0.17 years, the longest is 6 years, and the median is 1.08 years, meaning that half of the imprisonment lengths are below 1.08 years and half are above.

Bar graph showing imprisonment lengths for males for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity — **Figure 7B**: Imprisonment lengths for males for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity
**Number: 40 cases**
**Range and median**: The shortest imprisonment length is 0.17 years, the longest is 6 years, and the median is 1.08 years, meaning that half of the imprisonment lengths are below 1.08 years and half are above.

Bar graph showing imprisonment lengths for people aged 25 to 54 for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity — **Figure 7E**: Imprisonment lengths for people aged 25 to 54 for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity
**Number: 35 cases**
**Range and median**: The shortest imprisonment length is 0.17 years, the longest is 6 years, and the median is 1 year, meaning that half of the imprisonment lengths are below 1 year and half are above.

Bar graph showing imprisonment lengths without a recognizance release order for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity — **Figure 7G**: Imprisonment lengths without a recognizance release order (RRO) for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity
**Number: 11 cases**
**Range and median**: The shortest imprisonment length is 3.08 years, the longest is 6 years, and the median is 3.75 years, meaning that half of the imprisonment lengths are below 3.75 years and half are above.

Bar graph showing non-parole periods for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity — **Figure 8**: Non-parole periods for all people for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity
**Number: 11 cases**
**Note**: Imprisonment terms do not include a recognizance release order.
**Range and median**: The shortest non-parole period is 1.5 years, the longest is 4 years, and the median is 2 years, meaning that half of the non-parole periods are below 2 years and half are above.

Bar graph showing recognizance release order lengths for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity — **Figure 9**: Imprisonment lengths and recognizance release orders lengths for imprisonment with RRO for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity
**Number: 30 cases**
**Ranges and medians**: The shortest imprisonment length is 0.17 years, the longest is 2 years, and the median is 0.75 years, meaning that half of the imprisonment lengths are below 0.75 years and half are above. The shortest recognizance release order length is 0.25 years, the longest is 3 years, and the median is 1.21 years, meaning that half of the recognizance release order lengths are below 1.21 years and half are above

Stacked bar graph showing sentences imposed each year for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity — **Figure 10**: Sentencing outcomes for all cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity by financial year
**Number: 46 cases**

Bar graph showing the number of cases each year for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity — **Figure 11**: Number of cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity for all people by financial year
**Number: 46 cases**

Bar graph showing the average imprisonment length each year for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity — **Figure 12A**: Average imprisonment lengths for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity by financial year
**Number: 41 cases**

Bar graph showing the average imprisonment length each year (excluding combined orders) for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity — **Figure 12B**: Average imprisonment lengths (excluding combined orders) for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity by financial year
**Number: 11 cases**

Bar graph showing the average imprisonment length and average non-parole period for each year for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity — **Figure 12C**: Average imprisonment lengths and non-parole periods (NPPs) for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity by financial year
**Number: 11 cases**
**Note**: *NPP Cases* in the graph indicates that only cases with a non-parole period are included.

Bar graph showing the average imprisonment length (when combined with a recognizance release order) for each year for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity — **Figure 12D**: Average imprisonment lengths with a recognizance release order (RRO) for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity by financial year
**Number: 30 cases**

Bar graph showing age groups of offenders for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity — **Figure 13A**: Ages of offenders (where age is known) for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity
**Number: 46 cases**

Bar graph showing gender of offenders for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity — **Figure 13B**: Gender of offenders (where gender is known) for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity
**Number: 46 cases**

Bar graph showing the number of charges in cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity — **Figure 13C**: Number of charges per case (of any sentenced offence) for cases of use a carriage service to procure a child aged under 16 for sexual activity
**Number: 46 cases**